Atmospheric Chemistry

The James Webb Space Telescope enables a detailed analysis of the atmospheres of extrasolar planets and the possibility that they have life. Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

Molecular illusion: Laboratory findings cast doubt on signs of extraterrestrial life

New research challenges the assumption that specific molecules detected on other planets are a sign of life, showing that they can be synthesized under controlled laboratory conditions without any biological activity